When Darkness Falls
by kloi21
Summary: We are only fragile human beings, made of pieces that break and built around a core that will not beat forever... beneath the suit we breathe and we bleed. A/U set during Zeo.
1. D Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or the Zeo Powers, I do own an imagination though… for better or for worse**

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_***This story is set two months after the letter. They have their Zeo powers but everything other than that is my own A/U.**_

_***This story contains violence that you would not find on the show and language I'm sure the Power Rangers have never heard before, let alone used. It's action/adventure and of course T/K**_

_*** Although officially I'm taking a break from writing and indulging myself by reading other authors work I had this written and didn't want to waste it.**_

_***When Darkness Falls is dedicated to Lunar Kitty Kat (for her wise words), jps1926 and everyone over at the Perfect Chemistry site (You guys are a T/K inspiration) also to everyone that contacted me on the whole T/K/K issue- i appreciate it x I hope you enjoy this because it is my first attempt at adding some action x**_

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**WHEN DARKNESS FALLS**

_**The Dawning**_

Counting backwards from 100, Tommy Oliver closed his eyes and prayed that sleep would claim him soon. He longed for the safety of it's embrace, for the peace that the blackness would bring his otherwise peace less soul.

62...61... 60..

Why the hell couldn't he get past that number?

60... Had it really been 60 days since his world had come crashing down around his feet?

60 days of confusion had followed, of questions he could find no answers to, of a more excruciating pain than he had ever thought possible

Raising his eyelids he stared up at his bedroom ceiling

What was he doing here?

Lying, praying for sleep, for calm, when all he craved was chaos. His soul itched for action, for the courage he lived each day by to grab hold of his body and provoke a reaction… but turning over to face the illuminated digits of his alarm clock he found his courage had deserted him. His being was numb… wounded and in shock

60 days and he still wasn't recovering. The comfort of sleep was now nothing more than a memory he clung to because sleep hadn't brought him anything but darkness in a long time, it's once comfortable embrace now drew him to it only to turn on him like an enemy, images… memories…haunted his night

Throwing the covers from his torso he bit back a yell. He wanted to do it, to let go, to allow the hurt and frustration that coated his insides to find their release but he was a disciplined man and he was nothing if not in control but recently that control had been slipping, his temper… generally well tamed was beginning to break free of him at the most unlikely of times and although it scared him slightly, he had to admit to it being something of a welcomed release.

60 days of nothing… no contact, no tearful phone call begging to take it back, no call to check on his condition, in the past 60 days she had given him nothing but her silence

Placing his feet onto the soft, sage coloured carpet, Tommy rested both hands on his bare knees and felt the swell of anger rising in his chest.

How dare she do this to him?

How dare she treat him as though he had meant nothing to her?

There had been a time not too long ago when he had meant everything, how dare she now make him feel like _he_ was nothing, like everything they had shared and had been was for _nothing_.

How many times had he risked his life for her?

Was it really too much to ask for her to keep a little bit of hers for him?

Everything he'd done had been in her best interest, giving her up to her dream… putting her on that plane, the one that had carried her out of his life for what now looked like forever, it had all been for her, he had ignored his own feelings, the ones that screamed at him not to let her go, the ones that told him he would struggle without her.

They were her dreams, the ones she had strived for her entire life, he'd be damned if he told her he loved her in one breath and then stole them from her in another

Pulling open his curtains Tommy gazed out at the sleeping city

After everything they'd been through to protect it, why hadn't it been enough for her?

Why hadn't he been enough?

Yanking the curtains closed again, he stood with his back to his room and felt claustrophobia closing in on him. He needed to get out of here… he needed to breathe, to scream if he wanted to. He needed a release, an escape…

Running a tired hand over his face, he wondered if it would ever be possible to escape from himself… and from her, because everywhere he went she was there, every time he closed or opened his eyes, every thought he had revolved around them and the carnage that was now their relationship

Tommy growled bitterly at the word

'Relationship? Killing time is more like it'

Fire burned his eyes as he struggled not to give in to the dark thoughts that had been eating away at his mind ever since he had read the cruel words she had seen fit to post to him

Had everything been a lie?

Years ago she'd held him when he fell apart, cleaned him up and helped him back to his feet. When leadership and responsibilities had become too much she had allowed him to lean on her in an attempt to ease the burden and when the time had come for him to repay the favour he had given her everything he had

Had she done all of that for a man she had felt nothing more than kinship for?

Closing his eyes Tommy tried to remember the way she had held him…the way she had kissed him and whispered promises of a heart that would beat only for him- had it really been nothing more than a cruel lie?

Crossing his arms over his naked chest in an attempt to protect himself from his own agonising thoughts, Tommy struggled to find his emotional balance, everything he'd thought… everything he'd believed… what was the truth and what was the deception?

Everything was out of control, his emotions pounded his soul like a prize fighter, his mind was shredded from reliving and replaying years worth of conversations and actions, dissecting each one, searching frantically for some tell tale sign but he found nothing, nothing but more questions and more torturous confusion

"I've got to get out of here…"

His haunted whisper echoed through the night. The silent reply telling him that there were things he couldn't leave behind

"I'm no good to them now… I'm a liability"

His lonely conversation with himself hung in the night air as a feeling of resignation slowly crept through the length of his body

The Tommy Oliver that Zordon had chosen to lead his team was gone, the man that now stood in his place didn't possess the qualities to make a reliable leader. He was pre-occupied, unstable… his last fight had proven that beyond doubt but more than that, his heart just wasn't in it. When he should have been thinking about strategies to defeat Rita and Zedd he was thinking about _her, _and during battle, when he should have been watching out for his team he found himself unable to watch anything other than the pink spandex that now covered someone else

Opening his wardrobe door Tommy gazed upon the blocks of coloured clothing- green and white…red, the burn of tears that had become so familiar to him recently drew him to his senses as he swallowed them down and then picking out a black t-shirt he hoped still fit he whispered

"Zeo Ranger 5… over and out"

Before pulling on the top and disappearing in a flash of red light

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_**The Decision**_

"Tommy no!"

Looking to Tanya and then the 4 faces next to her Tommy knew the looks of devastation that covered them would haunt him for a long time to come, but he also knew that the time for discussions was over, the decision had been made… there was no going back

"What about our team, what's going to happen to the Power Rangers?" Adam Park looked from Tommy to Zordon and then back again- his dark eyes were searching for answers, his gentle voice thick with concern, and his face pale with the shock that had drained each of them of their colour

"Adam, Tommy and I have discussed the situation at length, believe me when I say that as with all decisions that he has made as leader of this team, this was not easy or taken lightly" Zordons voice was as serious as any of them had heard it

"I have to do this guys but I want to do it with your blessing"

"But Tommy, you're our leader, we rely on you… we _need _you" Tanyas eyes begged him to reconsider, their darkness muted by fear and uncertainty but as Adams arm slid over her shoulders Tommy couldn't help but smile at the realisation that even without him… they were going to make it

Yes he had lead them, but not one of them was a follower. Tommy had trusted each of them with his life in battle and he would trust each of them to lead his team now, he was just glad that the decision as to who would take his place was not his to make

Stepping forward, Rocky DeSantos observed the man before him. Tommy was more than just a friend to him, he was almost like a hero- the standard by which he judged himself as a ranger, but he had witnessed the sadness that had appeared in Tommys eyes shortly after receiving that damned letter and he'd observed how over time the shadow had grown, he knew that no matter how hard this was going to be on them, Tommy didn't deserve for it to be made any harder for him

"You know I'm going to drive these guys crazy if you aren't here to keep me in check right?"

"I think Adam is more than capable of keeping you under control man" Tommy laughed, thankful for Rockys attempt at lightening the atmosphere and when Rocky peered over his shoulder just in time to see Adam point to his eye and then to him, all three men found it in their hearts to laugh

"Uh, Tommy…"

The hand that Tommy now found on his bicep belonged to Billy, the original blue ranger, the man who had known Tommy longer than anyone else on the team, the man who had seen him driven to his knees and then stripped bare by Zedd and Rita only to rise from the ashes as the white ranger, the only man to know the true extent of the damage done by Kimberlys pen

"Tommy, you've been more than a just a friend or a leader to all of us and I think I speak for everyone when I say you've been an inspiration. What you've done for the Power Rangers and the world is… well I don't really have the words for it but, if now is the time that you've decided that you can't give any more then I accept that, and I hope the others will too. We all know what being a ranger means to you, we know you wouldn't give this up lightly and I just want to say thank you, for your sacrifice and example. Just know that wherever you go, we'll be there with you, we're a team until the end"

The air that filled the command centre hung empty for what felt like an age as emotion threatened to overcome each member of the power team. Life as they knew it was about to change forever and fear and uncertainty filled each one of them.

Their leader… the one that bound them and grounded them was leaving. What would become of them, of everything they had worked so hard to build?

Slowly they all accepted that fear was no reason to hold on to Tommy, he'd given all he had and it was more than most men would have in 10 life times. Now was the time for him to move on, to unburden himself of responsibility and find out not who the green/ white or red rangers were but who Tommy Oliver was.

Each of the five faces before him owed it to him to make that as easy as possible

"Well, you'd better write, that's all I can say" The silence was finally broken by Rocky as he playfully slapped Tommys back

"That's if he remembers" Laughed Adam

"I can probably build a machine to remind you if you like" Billy joined in

"No Billy, no more of your memory machines"

And so the light hearted banter continued and with each joke the laughter intensified as if to say- if this was to be the last time they were together as a team then it was going to be a memory they could smile back on in years to come.

Unfortunately Katherine, who had been silent ever since Tommy dropped his bombshell could not find it in herself to join the laughter as wiping away a stray tear she stepped forward

"Can we please stop pretending that this is okay?"

5 faces turned to look at her

"Because believe me, this is not okay and let's not pretend that we really think that this is Tommy doing what's best for him, we all know you're leaving because of what happened with Kimberly. Please don't do this Tommy, don't let her take anymore from you than she already has!"

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_**The Declaration**_

Pulling the zip closed on his final bag, Tommy looked around his room and sighed. This was really it, this was really goodbye to everything he had known and the fact that he felt nothing as he considered everything that he was leaving behind only confirmed to him that he had made the right decision.

A gentle knock at the door pulled him from his morose thoughts and he called out to whoever it was that they could enter. The shame filled face of Katherine was not what he was expecting to see or in the mood to deal with

"Tommy I'm really sorry"

Pulling a breath deep into his chest, Tommy nodded his understanding before turning back to his closed bag, picking it up and throwing it next to the others

"You're leaving already?"

"I'm going to stay with Jason for a while, just until I work out what I want to do"

Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, Katherine observed the 3 bags before her. This was really happening, she was really losing him, and just when she had so much that she wanted him to know. Was the timing right for her to open her heart to him now? Would the timing ever be right to make such a declaration?

"I can't believe how I behaved earlier, can you ever forgive me?"

Fiddling with his now bare wrist Tommy struggled to look the woman he had thought to be a friend in the eye

"I can't believe that you've been around through this entire thing with Kimberly and then you'd just throw it in my face like that… and in front of everybody"

"I didn't mean to, it was just such a shock… I'm so, so sorry"

Spotting a plane ticket lying on the dark green duvet cover Katherine picked it up as Tommy paced across the floor and paused by the window. Lifting up a small black photo frame that still held a picture of him with Kimberly he sighed as though the world was weighing heavily on his shoulders

"I tried to throw this out the other day… 10 minutes later it was back on my window sill, I guess I'm still not ready to let go"

"Um… Tommy?"

Placing the frame back on it's resting place Tommy turned to find Katherine staring at the tickets he had earlier discarded

"I thought Jason lived in Fort Lauderdale, this is for Miami… doesn't Kimberly live in Miami?"

"I bought them just after Christmas, I was supposed to go and stay with her for spring break, we discussed it the last time I spoke to her on the phone. I just don't get it Kat… she was so excited at the thought of us having some time alone together, y'know without our parents. How could that change so quickly?"

Staring at the tickets, Katherine couldn't help the jealousy that filled her. Tommy had bought them so he and Kimberly could spend time together… alone in her apartment, the implications of that stung and not for the first time since it arrived, she was thankful for that innocently folded piece of paper.

"People change Tommy"

"Over night?!"

Turning around Tommy gazed at the photo and felt the clouds of confusion begin their descent. Looking at Kim smiling out at him he felt the turmoil left by unanswered questions grip hold of his heart and begin twisting

"Some times people say things they don't really mean…"

Tommy couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from Kims as he shook his head at Katherines words.

Kimberly had meant it when she'd told him she wanted him to travel out there for spring break, she'd meant it when they'd spent hours making plans, he knew it… he knew _her_… then again maybe he didn't know anything at all!

"Just like some times people don't say the things that they should do"

Katherine felt her heart beat gathering pace as she took a step closer to the cliff edge. The time to jump was upon her… but would she have the courage to take a breath and just let herself go?

Turning back to face her, Tommy noticed the serious look that now caused her features to appear pale and tense. She felt bad for her earlier words, he knew that and although he had been hurt and slightly embarrassed he had understood her reaction and forgiven her for it

"Kat, you don't have to feel bad about earlier"

"It's not that Tommy… can you sit down for a minute? There's something I want to talk to you about"

"If this is about me leaving then I promise you, I've thought it through properly and I am totally sure that I'm doing the right thing"

"It's not about that. Can you just sit?"

Crossing the room Tommy took his seat on the other side of the bed to Katherine and then watched as she seemed to fight some sort of internal battle before swallowing down a huge breath and raising her eyes to gaze into Tommys with an intensity that he had rarely seen from her off of the battlefield

"We're friends right?"

The look he answered her with told her that she didn't even need to ask

"Okay, silly question. Tommy I know that you've been having a really hard time recently and I know that at times it probably feels like it's never going to get better but I just want you to know that it will"

The way Tommys eyes fell from hers and suddenly became fascinated with something on the duvet that was invisible to everybody but himself told her that he either didn't believe her or he didn't want to talk about it but Kat knew that if she didn't say this now then she would probably never get the chance to say it at all so ignoring his obvious discomfort she forged ahead

"Not every girl is like Kimberly, not every relationship you have will end the way your relationship with her did"

Tommy said nothing, he just moved uncomfortably whilst never raising his eyes

"There are millions of girls out there Tommy… one of them will be perfect for you"

Clenching her teeth together hard, Kat attempted to slow her heart beat which was pounding so hard it was actually making her feel sick. Tommy remained unresponsive but she was grateful for that in a way. If he raised his head and looked at her with those dark eyes, the ones that were shrouded in a sadness that caused Kats heart to break for him, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to say what she had to.

Closing her eyes she asked God for the courage to utter the words that had lived on her lips ever since she had met him

"Tommy…" Without even realising it, her hands moved to cover his and keeping her eyes tightly closed she found her prayers answered as the words finally slipped over her lips. "Tommy I love you"

The way Tommys face fell as the weight of Kats words sunk in was her first signal that this conversation may not be going the way she had hoped.

"What?"

The feel of Tommys hands being ripped from under hers caused Katherines eyes to snap open as he all but leapt up from the bed. Gazing up at him, as he glared down at her, Kat felt her heart- which seconds earlier had felt like a freight train her in chest grind to an immediate stop

"Tommy let me explain…" The distress was evident on Kats voice as she attempted to keep a hold of her self and her most valued friendship

"Is that what all of this is about? You being there every time I turned around, it's all been about… _this_?"

"I wanted to be there for you, I knew how much Kimberly had hurt you"

"And you think this is making things easier on me? I've just stood here… you've just heard me say that I'm still struggling and what do you do? You drop this shit on me"

"When you said you were leaving I was scared I would never get the chance to tell you how I felt"

"And would that have been such a bad thing?"

"I don't think I could have lived with it"

Nodding his head, Kat could see the blood rushing to Tommys cheeks, he was angry… more angry than she had ever seen him and it was her words, her heartfelt declaration that had made him that way. Fighting back tears Katherine wished with all her might that she could turn back time and un-say the words that had provoked such a heated reaction from a man she would do anything to protect

"Oh, _You_ couldn't live with it, stuff me- right? Stuff the fact that I have enough going on in my life right now to last me 2 life times but you had to say something because you couldn't live with yourself if you didn't. I used to think you and Kim were so different but now it seems like you're just the same- neither of you can think of anybody but your self"

"I've been thinking about no body but you since I got here!"

"Well I didn't ask you too. You've just heard me say how much I'm struggling to move on"

"I can help you with that, Tommy I can if you will just let me try"

"Try to what? Replace her? Come to think about it, isn't that all you've been trying to do since you got here?"

" I didn't ask for her to choose me to take her place"

Stepping closer, Tommy bent down slightly so that he was staring Katherine directly in the eyes as his words blazed into the air between them

"Kim might have chosen you to become the next Pink Ranger but don't fool yourself into thinking that you could take her place in any other way, especially not with me… never with me"

Tommy could hear the cruelness in his words and he could see the tears in Katherines eyes fighting for release but he just couldn't feel bad about it. He had opened his heart to her, he'd told her things… private things about his relationship with Kim and all the time she'd been hanging around just waiting to step into Kimberlys shoes. Tommy couldn't help but be furious with her for her deception

"What's so wrong with me? I tell you the most personal thing one person can ever tell another and all you do is yell at me. What's so wrong with me Tommy?"

"Nothing, there's nothing wrong with you, you're just… you're not her"

"No because I would never hurt you like that"

"No… because I could never love you like that"

As his words burned the air a realisation suddenly burned brighter than any star he had ever seen…

Turning away from Kat, he took a deep breath and held it tightly in his chest as he tried to reign in his temper

"Leave"

Tears spilled down Kats face as she reached out and took hold of his arm whilst whispering his name.

She couldn't't believe that something so special and so personal could be taken so wrong and as Tommy again pulled his arm from her grip whilst never turning to face her, Kat knew that her timing had been way off. His heart was still too wounded, he was still too wrapped up in the memory of another to see her, or at least to see her the way that she saw him… the mistake was no ones but her own.

Wiping away the tears, Katherine finally accepted his rejection and the fact that no matter how much she cared for him he just didn't't feel the same for her and no matter how badly Kim treated him, for some reason it didn't't stop him loving her. Theirs was some kind of blackened fairy tale and some how Kat had found herself entangled in it.

Pushing open his bedroom door and stepping out onto the landing was the first step she took towards freeing herself of the black web that Tommy and Kimberly had become

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_**The Deception**_

Standing face to face with the wooden door that was now the only barrier between himself and the truth, Tommy pulled a hand over his smoothed back ponytail and wondered if he would ever find the nerve to knock

Less than 12 hours ago he had stood in Angel Grove airport preparing to board a flight to Fort Lauderdale, just over 2 hours ago a flight carrying Tommy Oliver had touched down in Miami. The decision to board the alternative flight hadn't been made consciously but it had been made decisively the second Katherine had left his house yesterday

One long cab ride later and here he stood, with his heart in his mouth and his hands still firmly stuffed into his pockets, the courage he was renown for had deserted him just when he needed it the most

Continuing to stare blankly at the dark timber, Tommy considered what the worst thing was that could happen and that was easy. He could knock now and find Kimberly in the arms of 'Mr. Wonderful' himself, happy… in love…with somebody that wasn't him… over him, then again he had tortured himself with worse during the endless nights he had endured since their separation

Taking in a breath almost larger than his lungs could stand, Tommy raised a hand and summoning all of his strength and courage he was just about to bring his knuckles down on the wooden barrier when all of a sudden somebody tapped gently on the shoulder of his raised arm. He didn't need to turn around to know who was doing the tapping. The scent of a fruity perfume that he had never known the name of wrapped itself around him and dragged him back through time, a million memories washing over him in one split second

He didn't want to turn around, he didn't want to face the present, he was contented to stay there, safe in the memories of his blissful past. He couldn't bare to turn around and face what they'd become when his soul screamed out in silent desperation for what they once were. He didn't know if he could face turning around and seeing the truth in her eyes… that they were over, she had moved on… just as he was becoming more and more sure that he never would

"Tommy?"

The way his named slipped over her lips, as warm and inviting as it ever had brought Tommy crashing back to the present as his entire being cried out for her.

It had been months since Tommy had laid eyes on her. Sure, he'd studied every photograph that he owned, memorised every last detail, searched every inch of her face for some kind of hint at her waning interest but he found nothing… nothing but a yearning to see her one more time… to touch her even if it was for the last time

Preparing himself for the surge of emotions he knew without doubt were coming, Tommy steadied himself and then took the first of the three steps that would see him once again face to face with the woman that was without doubt his greatest love, the woman that was quickly becoming his greatest enemy

"Tommy what are you doing here?"

The soft smile that was now caressing her lips as her eyes widened and shone as his fell on her for the first time in what felt like 10 life times came as something as a surprise to Tommy and he felt his forehead begin to frown. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, something colder… harsher maybe, but to be confronted by the look of adoration that she had always greeted him with was quite shocking… and more than a little confusing

"It's spring break… we had plans"

The pain that caused Kims eyes to narrow and for her teeth to clench onto her bottom lip was mirrored on Tommys face as silently each of them mourned what could have been, the plans they had made, the future that had burned so bright and the precious memories that were now all that they had left of each other

"You shouldn't have come here"

As soon as the words were spoken Kimberlys face darkened and stiffened. It was an expression that seemed so forced that Tommy almost found it in himself to laugh

"Why not?" He asked. "Is there somebody you don't want me to run into?"

Tutting loudly, Kim crossed her arms over her chest and jutted out a hip

"Oh don't tell me you're still hung up on that!"

The harshness of her voice was a million miles away from the warmth that had greeted Tommy just minutes before and her actions seemed so staged… yes her words had penetrated his armour but they had only confused him further where as he was sure she had meant for them to hurt. It seemed almost as though she was putting on a show, but why and for whose benefit? Tommy had just made a promise to himself to find out

"I think you owe me some answers, don't you?"

"I think you owe it to yourself to build a bridge and get over it. Now if you'll excuse me…"

As Kimberly attempted to stomp past him Tommy noticed something in her face, something she'd hoped desperately that he never would but for a split second her harsh mask slipped and he saw her… as she'd always been

Throwing out an arm, Tommy caught her by the shoulder and spun her around to face him but whatever glimpse of 'his Kimberly' he'd caught was long gone

"Touch me again and I'll scream" She seethed

"Why are you being like this? It isn't you, I know it isn't"

"I told you, you shouldn't have come here"

"But I did, is it too much to ask for you to give me a few minutes of your time?"

Pinning her against her front door with only his steely gaze, Tommys entire demeanour demanded the truth… little did he know the damage the truth would eventually cause

"We are over… okay? Questions and answers wont change that!"

The heat immediately died in Tommys eyes as a heartbreaking sadness descended on his striking features

"Well what did I do?" his voice came out like that of a small boy and Kim knew she had wounded him, what she needed to do now was make sure the wound was fatal and that Tommy left and never came back

"You didn't do anything. Don't you see? I knew when I left that we wouldn't make it"

"So what the hell was Christmas all about then? You could have told me then, you could have looked me in the eyes and said it"

"No I couldn't. Come on Tommy, just because I knew it, doesn't mean that I wanted it. When I came home at Christmas, everything was so perfect. It was just like it used to be, just how I wanted it to be"

Shaking his head in disgust, Tommy couldn't believe what he was hearing, not once had she even considered how he had felt

"You, you , you, that's all this is about. Maybe Kat was right after all, maybe you are the one person that means anything to you"

"Kat doesn't know me"

"Apparently no one does"

"You think this is all my fault?"

Tommys silence was the only answer that she needed

"Well you didn't exactly go out of your way to make me feel secure Tommy, I mean sure, when you're in ranger mode you're the bravest guy I know but when you're just plain old Tommy Oliver then you're a coward, an emotional coward"

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"It means what was I to you? A friend? A girlfriend? …a team-mate?"

"Don't you even dare try to make it about that, you knew how I felt about you"

"Did I? how could I? it's not like you ever told me, the most affection I got from you was the odd hug or if I was lucky maybe I'd get a kiss on the cheek"

"I was trying to be a gentleman"

Tommys eyes misted as his short comings as a boyfriend were laid bare before him, he'd thought he'd been doing it all the right way, just as his parents had always told him he should, but in fact it turned out he'd been doing it all wrong. Kimberly had been looking for something else- something he hadn't been able to give her. He suddenly regretted asking for the truth because it was far more brutal and painful than he had ever imagined and by the look in Kims eyes she wasn't about to stop there

"Don't give me that 'gentleman' crap, you were scared, you were scared of me, of us, of your feelings and you put all of that between us. Yes, you're right, I did know that you liked me, but how much? Enough to wait whilst I chased a dream? Enough to turn down Kats advances? Enough to tell me if you couldn't?"

"Don't bring Kat into it"

Her emotional declaration still rang in his ears and the guilt at his reaction still burned in his chest

"Ah, the protective side shines through, I guess that isn't reserved for girlfriends only then… tell me, what part of you was reserved for me only?"

Opening his mouth, Tommy tried to yell at her, he couldn't believe what she was saying, but the words died on his lips… he didn't trust himself to speak, he didn't trust the swell of emotions that were growing in his chest but he was desperate for an emotional release, to scream at something, to hit something but instead he reached out, grabbed hold of Kimberlys hand and slammed it into his chest

"THIS PART! This part was yours. So don't you EVER tell me that you didn't know how I felt, because you knew… you knew fine well"

"Tommy…"

He could feel her hands trembling beneath his own and for a moment he revelled in her discomfort. This whole thing was a charade, he was becoming more and more sure of it

"What's going on Kimberly?"

"You have to leave… now!" Her voice was barely a whisper

"I'm not going anywhere until you start making sense"

The speed at which Kimberly tore her hands away from him, caught Tommy slightly off guard, and as she pulled them back and then pushed them hard into his chest he briefly lost his footing, as he stumbled back a few steps he could have sworn that he saw the glistening of dampness on her cheek

"Stay away from me Tommy, I'm warning you… for every bodies sake!"

After fumbling in her purse for her key she clumsily opened her front door and then disappeared inside- leaving Tommy to battle his confusion at her words in the emptiness of the hallway

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_**The Devastation**_

As the door slammed shut behind her, Kimberly finally found herself beginning to unravel. Leaning back against it for some much needed support, she felt her knees buckle beneath her as a strangled sob escaped her chest.

He wasn't supposed to be here!

Clenching her hands over her mouth, Kim finally hit the floor and gave in to the tears that had been threatening to betray her ever since she saw Tommy standing nervously at her front door, glorious and alluring as ever in a black woollen sweater and dark blue jeans

He wasn't _ever _supposed to be here… they'd promised!

Wiping her eyes, Kim finally found the strength to push herself to her feet and grabbing the phone from the near by cradle she stumbled across the room as sickness churned in her stomach, and the entire world became fluorescent and fuzzy.

Dropping down onto the safety and softness of the wine-red couch, Kimberly punched in the numbers that came as naturally as calling home. It took what felt like an age before anyone answered, but when they did, they found themselves facing the full force of Kimberly Harts fury, and it was something they had deserved for a long time

"What the hell is Tommy doing here?!"

Tears poured down her face as she fought to control her anger

"What do you mean you didn't know?! It's your job to know. I've done everything that you have asked of me, this is the one little thing you have to do and what happens? …No I know you can't watch his every move… of course I haven't told him anything, do you really think I'm an idiot? I just about had to rip his heart out to get him to go. Good?! How can you say that? What kind of person are you… okay, okay I'm sorry. Look I said I'm sorry. I don't think he'll be coming back, like I said I was pretty brutal. Fine… whatever"

Slamming the phone down Kim just about screamed out in frustration.

How had she found herself in this mess?

How had everything that had held such promise turned into such a mess?

Burying her head in her hands Kim was just about to surrender to the dark, that is until the sound of somebody's fist hammering against the door shocked her so much, her tears stopped in an instant and as she watched the flimsy wood shake as it continued to be pummelled she realised that if Tommy had come back for round two, she may not have the strength to fight him.

Life without the man she loved had been hard, at times excruciating but she'd found a coldness in her that she had never realised she possessed. It was a front that allowed her to move forward without falling apart but one glance at Tommy and her front had slipped, she was in danger of ruining everything, she had to make sure he left… she couldn't risk what would happen if he didn't

2 months ago, Kimberly had sent a letter that she had hoped would be enough to make sure that he never came after her, unfortunately it appeared that his need for answers had become too much and by the seems of the relentless pounding on her front door he was unsatisfied with the answers he had received and had returned, looking for something more

"Tommy go away!"

But her voice didn't stop the blows from raining down and she knew that Tommy was a big, strong guy, if she didn't put an end to this now, she wasn't sure that her door would make it, so clenching her teeth together, Kim pushed herself up from her sofa, wiped her the tear tracks from her face and then put in place the harshest look she could muster

"Tommy, I told you to go away!"

Pulling open the door, Kimberly wasn't prepared for the shadow that fell over her, or for the man dressed in green spandex that stumbled towards her. She just had time to let out a scream when the mans hands came down onto her shoulders causing them both to crash to the floor.

Struggling beneath his weight, Kim managed to wriggle her way free just as he let out an agonising yell

"TOMMY!"

Staring at the man in stunned silence, Kimberly couldn't believe what she was seeing

"Adam?" The word crept tentatively from her lips as the haunted eyes that stared out from behind his smashed visor blinked in recognition

"…Kim?"

Reaching over his shoulder Kimberly managed to slam the door shut before propping him up against it. Kneeling before him, she observed her friend and former team mate properly for the first time and felt the swell of panic… something had gone terribly wrong!

Adams visor was completely smashed and Kimberly could see blood trickling down his forehead and past his eyes. The left side of his uniform was completely shredded, his glove was missing and his knuckles were bruised an swollen, below his ribcage Kim could see a stain that was widening right before her eyes

"Adam you're bleeding!"

Instinctively she reached out to tend to him but quick as a flash he grabbed hold of her arm, his dark eyes boring into hers

"I have… to find…Tommy. TOMMY!"

Again his terrifying yell rang through Kims apartment and she fought the urge to cover her ears so that she couldn't hear the terror in his voice

"Tommy isn't here. Adam, I really think we need to get you some help"

"TOMMY! TOMMY!"

"Adam stop it please, you're scaring me. I told you Tommy isn't here"

Confusion ran riot in Adams eyes as the colour drained from his face which was now glistening with perspiration

"We… we scanned… the area. Tommy was… here" his voice came out on ragged breaths "We used everything…"

"Can't you use your communicator to contact him?"

Shaking his head violently, Adam put both hands onto the floor and attempted to push himself up. The cry he let out told Kim he was hurt bad and something needed to be done… now!

"I'll find him"

She said it whilst stroking his arm in an attempt to reassure him

"You have to bring… him back. We only have one try… at…teleporting"

"Adam, what has happened?" She struggled desperately to keep the panic from her own voice, but as tears formed in Adams gentle eyes she found tears burning at her own. What terribleness was she about to hear?

Adams voice came out slowly as he struggled for breath

"Everything is gone…the Zords, Zordon, Alpha. Everything has been… destroyed"

"How?"

Kims question was just a whisper as Adams tears began to fall, quickly followed by her own

"Something is out there… I think it… it must be the devil. We… we didn't stand a chance"

"Are the others okay? Are they hurt like you?"

"Only Rocky and I made it back"

A sob broke free of his chest as he buried his helmet in his hands

"I don't think he's going to make it Kim… you have… to… find… Tommy"

"I will"

Wiping the tears from her eyes Kim pushed herself to her feet

"I'll find him and bring him back. It's going to be okay Adam"

"Nothing is ever going to be okay again"

Manoeuvring Adam forward, Kimberly squeezed through the door and ran as hard as she could down the corridor. A million questions were burning in her mind as she fled the building into the cold night air

"_Everything is gone…" _

She kept replaying Adams words

"_Only Rocky and I made it back_"

Then what had happened to Tanya and Katherine?

"_I don't think he's going to make it…" _

As her muscles began to scream in protest Kim pounded down the road and realised that she had absolutely no idea where she was going. Tommy could be anywhere by now… she'd hurt him pretty bad, but they needed him. Stopping in the middle of the road, Kimberly attempted to catch her breath as she scanned the area and tried to decide where Tommy would have gone

"_I don't think he's going to make it"_

Running her fingers through her hair, Kim looked from left to right

"_I think it must have been the devil…"_

"TOMMY!"

The scream that ripped through her chest and exited her throat terrified her almost as much as Adams had but terror was pumping through her and giving her no option but to act

"TOMMY!"

Kimberlys scream tore through the night air

"_Everything is gone… Only Rocky and I made it back… Nothing will ever be okay again"_

"_TOMMY!"_


	2. The Dying Of The Light

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but an imagination… for better or for worse**

_***This story is set two months after the letter. They have their Zeo powers but everything other than that is my own A/U.**_

_***This story contains violence that you would not find on the show and language I'm sure the Power Rangers have never heard before, let alone used. It's action/adventure and of course T/K**_

_***Even though this story is darker than most PR episodes I still wanted to keep the cheesy bad guys, so prepare to meet them (Maybe they're even more cheesy than the show but it's something I always enjoyed when I was watching)**_

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 2 **

**THE DYING OF THE LIGHT**

Pulling a dark green t-shirt down over the bandages that Billy had finished applying just minutes earlier, Adam Park looked down at his blue jeans and bare feet and begged God with everything he had to grant him one wish and make it so he never had to look up again… because up was where the stars were, where the moon and the sun shone… where the heavens waited. _Up_ was where hope lived and hope had fallen from Adams world a few short hours before, now all he could see was night… and dark and the fiery hell that had claimed his team

The command centre he now stood in looked like the one he had known, the one he had left nearly three hours ago with his entire team in tact, it even smelt the same but it wasn't the same and it never would be. The heart of it was gone, the power that had pulsed through it like blood to a heart was gone… Alpha and Zordon were gone. The place he now stood in was nothing more than an empty shell, like a body shortly after death, still warm to the touch but empty in the places that mattered

"Man, are you okay?"

The warmth of Tommys hand coming to rest on his shoulder caused tears to again fill Adams dark eyes, rubbing a hand over them he sighed and then nodded that he was fine… not that he expected anyone to believe him, not when he didn't even believe himself

Taking a few painful steps across the command centre to the cot that held the unconscious figure of his best friend Adam fought the tears that had dogged him since he had appeared battered and bruised in Kimberlys hallway

"He looks a lot better" Tommy whispered as he backed away and stood close to Billy

"The wound isn't as bad as I feared at first, I'm more concerned about his mental well being. I don't know what he saw out there, or what it was that attacked them but it seems to have left a scar on Adam, one that isn't visible anywhere other than in his eyes and I have to tell you, I don't like it one bit Tommy"

"Wait a second, you mean you didn't see anything at all?"

"Our contact with the outside world was the first thing to go, we were completely blind throughout the entire attack"

"What about Zordon? Did he say _anything_ before he disappeared, anything that might help us now?"

"Nothing that made any sense but I'll talk to you about that later, now…"

Motioning towards where Adam stood staring down at the broken body of the man he had known almost his entire life, Billys gesture told Tommy that questions could wait, their friends needed them- now.

"How's he doing Kim?" Asked Billy as he came to stand on the right side of Adam

"Any change?" Tommy took up his position on the left hand side and Adam looked between the two men as he crossed his arms nervously and then released them

"No better, no worse, I guess that's a good thing… right?" The petite brunette stroked the damp looking skin of the Blue Zeo Rangers face and couldn't hide her alarm at how hot he felt "Billy are you sure he can't power down, he seems so uncomfortable in the suit, it's almost like it's suffocating him"

The look on Billys face grew grave and Adam almost wanted to stop him from answering, he knew it was bad… one look at Rocky told him that but he didn't know if he could bare to hear just how bad it was.

At one point today he'd thought Rocky was gone. When his friend had screamed out in agony Adam had thought there was never a more beautiful sound in the world, the sound of life coming from the man he considered family. He couldn't bare it if that joy… that hope had been for nothing

"Kim I…" Billy looked nervously at Adam and then back to the lifeless body of Rocky. He was the brains of the group, he was supposed to know how to solve even the most complicated of problems, but looking at the two men before him he'd never felt more useless

"It's okay Billy, I can take it" Adam found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Rockys blackened suit, the legs of which were almost completely singed, or the blood that matted his hair, the memory of his friend being hit so hard that his helmet had completely spit in two tore through Adams foggy mind… had it all actually happened? He was beginning to wonder if it had all been nothing more than a nightmare. One look at his broken friend told him this was his truth… for better or worse

"Okay, as far as I can tell, his morphed state is the only thing keeping him alive. Adam I'm so sorry"

Kims hand shot up to cover her mouth unconsciously before falling back to Rockys cheek

"Oh Rocky I'm so sorry…"

Running both hands through his hair, Tommy turned and walked away from the group, he was slowly falling back into leader mode but answers weren't coming easy. They were completely alone against an evil they knew nothing about, 2 of their team mates were missing, one was close to death and the other was still suffering from the shock of everything that he had witnessed.

They needed a plan… unfortunately, Tommy was struggling to forge one and glancing across at Kimberly who was still tending to Rocky he couldn't help but feel that her presence was the reason. There had been a time when her presence lit a fire in him that burned so bright that he saw even the darkest corners clearly, now all it did was serve to remind him that the darkest corners were now his home… his comfort, blind and confused he cowered in them… wounded and in need of saving. How could he be responsible for saving the lives of the people that meant the most to him when he couldn't even find it in him to save his own?

"Adam…"

His voice caused all 3 faces to turn and gaze at him as if they were waiting for him to say something that would make this all okay, he knew that he no longer had that power

"Adam I know this is going to be difficult but if we're going to try and fight… and we _have_ to fight this, for Katherine and Tanya… we're going to have to know what 'this' is and since you were the only one there…"

Adams face grew tense as he again crossed his arms and then released them, this time he wrung his hands together and looked nervously at Billy and then Kimberly and then finally turning back to Tommy

"You want me to talk you through what happened?

"We need to know"

"You want me to _talk_ when half of my team is missing?!"

"We need to know what we're up against"

"We need to act!"

"We can't find them if we don't know what we're facing. Adam, we have no powers, if and when we do this, we're going in completely unarmed, just us, not The Power Rangers, _us_. We're going to be at a massive disadvantage from the word go, we need as much information as we can get, unfortunately you're the only one that was there"

"Adam please…" Kim was up from the side of Rockys cot and now stood next to Billy, both of them silently pleading with him "For the team"

"The team?!" Adam almost spat the words at her as he shook his head "We aren't a team any more"

"We have to be… for Rocky" Adam noticed that Kim finished her sentence with her gaze fixed firmly on Tommy, silently asking him to try and put their troubles aside, Adam didn't know if Tommy would be able to do it but her soft words seemed to coax him from the anger that had momentarily taken a hold of him and again shaking his head he walked away from his former team mates and leant against one of the consoles

"I don't want to do this, I haven't even made sense of things in my own mind yet but you're right, I have to"

Turning his back Adam stood in silence for so long that the others were beginning to think he had changed his mind when suddenly he turned back to them, the look on his face was determined… he could do this, he had no choice

"The battle was going just like any other, we had no signs that anything was different…"

Tommy and Billy stared intently at their friend, preparing to take in every word that he said, to search it all for any clue… any sign of what to do.

Kimberly on the other hand returned to her place next to Rocky and began stroking his arm, silently willing him to wake up and make some joke that they could all roll their eyes at, but the faint rise and fall of his chest and the gurgling noise that rose from his throat every now and then told her he was going to need more than her thoughts to help him through this… he was going to need a miracle

"We were just beginning to get the upper hand when everything went dark, it was as though someone had just turned off the sun or something, it was black and when the light suddenly reappeared everything Mondo had sent after us was destroyed, it was all lying where it had stood but in a million pieces. I don't know what happened, like I said it was so dark, but it didn't take long for us to realise that we were in serious trouble. The Zords were on fire… everything around us was on fire! It was as though someone had set fire to the world! I don't know how but Rocky and I managed to jump free, but Tanya and Kat were still trapped. We were yelling up at them to jump but they just kept screaming that they couldn't get out, they were banging on the windows but we couldn't help them"

The tears now flowed freely down Adams cheeks as he began to relive the most horrendous day of his life

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**2 HOURS EARLIER**

Standing in the park that just seconds earlier had been a battleground but now was eerily silent, Adam stared up at the masked faces of the Pink and Yellow Zeo Rangers, and he could almost feel the terror radiating from them

"JUMP!" Rocky held his arms out in desperation "TANYA, KATHERINE, JUST JUMP!"

For some reason it seemed like the girls were unable to break free of their Zords. Adam could see the fires raging out of control and quickly closing in on them whilst over his communicator he listened to their deafening screams. He couldn't just stand there and watch… he had to do something!

"I have to go up there" he just had time to spare a glance to Rocky before starting to sprint forward, careful to miss the flames that were raining down on him, but as he came within a foot of the giant machines he found himself thrown backwards as though he had hit a force field of some kind. Crashing to the ground, Adam felt Rockys hands on his shoulders

"Are you okay?!" The Blue Rangers voice came out closer to a yell than a question

"They're trapped Rocky!"

The terror in the Green Rangers voice almost mimicked that of his friends

"Zordon!" Holding his communicator to his lips he waited for their leaders response but nothing came "Alpha? Billy please, this is Adam come in, we are in serious trouble down here" Still nothing. "Rocky something is really, really wrong"

Rocky had just opened his mouth to speak when all of a sudden the world fell back into darkness and this time the only thing that could be heard were the screams of Tanya and Katherine ripping through the black

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**AT THE COMMAND CENTRE**

"I don't know what happened to them… all I know is that when the light came back on… the fire and the girls were gone and the Zords were completely dismantled"

Wiping at his eyes, the three people stood before him watched as he struggled to regain control of himself. His emotions were threatening to overtake him in a way they'd never seen before, the memories were too confused, too raw but he was trying and even though the steps forward might be baby ones they were progress.

Unfortunately Tommy wasn't taking the revelations well and as he began to pace back and forth the questions that had been burning his mind found their way over his lips

"How could someone just turn off the sun?" And then snapping his head up to face Adam "How could this happen?"

"Tommy…"

"Who were they? Who attacked you?"

"I don't know"

"Well what did they look like? What did they say?"

"Tommy, let's just take this one question at a time" Billy was attempting to win his distraught friend the space he obviously needed but Tommy continued to pace and the questions continued to be fired off

"Did you notice any weak points? How can we defeat them?"

"Tommy, I don't have all of the answers for you"

Adams face was paler than Kimberly had ever seen him, his eyes were swollen and blood shot, whilst one hand instinctively held on to the side that had been slashed during a battle that only he knew the details of, Tommy was pushing him too hard and in doing so he was in danger of pushing him too far

"Tommy leave him alone"

He paused long enough to give her a look that she barely recognised as belonging to him. He hated her, that much was obvious, but they didn't have time to fight battles between themselves, because they were now caught up in a battle to save the lives of their friends.

Turning back to Adam, Tommys voice betrayed the panic he was feeling at the disappearance of Tanya and Katherine

"Well if you don't who have the answers who does? You were the only one of us that was there, you're the only one that saw anything. We need to know everything"

"_You_ need to know?"

"Yes"

"_You_ should already know Tommy!" Adams posture stiffened as his face tensed and his eyes sought out those of the man verbally attacking him "Because _you_ should have been there!"

The way Tommys eyes immediately dropped to the ground told everyone that he had been thinking the exact same thing. His questions weren't born out of frustration at Adam, more out of a frustration with himself. He had lead the team for years and the one time when they had really needed him he hadn't been there. Looking towards Rocky, Tommy couldn't control the guilt or grief that overtook him, and slamming his hand down on one of the consoles he headed for the exit, it was only Adams voice that caused his hand to stop short of turning the handle

"Tommy…" Still clutching his side Adam took a few tentative steps towards his former leader "Tommy don't leave us again… we need you"

Turning back to face the group of 3 Tommy just nodded and Adam took it as a signal that now it got serious, now the truth had to come out and then… _then_ they would prepare for war

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**2 HOURS EARLIER **

Crawling around in the burned out wreckage of the Zords Adam and Rocky said nothing. Neither could make sense of what was happening, shock and panic over the sudden disappearance of the girls made it hard for either of them to breath let alone form words

"I can't believe this" Rockys whisper was more to himself than to anybody in particular

"Rocky they're not here"

"We have to keep looking though"

"Rocky, they're gone!"

Slapping the ground and then pushing himself to his feet the Green Zeo Ranger took a deep breath and then raised his communicator to his lips. He barely had time to mutter Zordons name when all of a sudden a tentacle from something he hadn't noticed before flew at him, wrapping itself around his throat and hoisting him into the air

"ADAM!" The yell that followed his name told Adam that Rocky had met the same fate.

Kicking their feet and attempting to yell out, the Zeo rangers did all they could to break free, but it was useless, their captors had them bound tight and as their brains began to burn from lack of oxygen, the world began to fall away. It was only the sound of lightening crashing all around them that shocked them into full consciousness again and to their surprise they found the tentacles loosening, although not enough to allow them to break free, but enough to allow some much needed air into their lungs.

Pulling a few massive breaths into his chest, Adam attempted to regain his equilibrium before allowing his eyes to follow the length of the tentacle and finally laying eyes on his attacker

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**AT THE COMMAND CENTRE**

"A kiwi fruit?!" Tommys face was disbelief personified

"Well obviously not an actually kiwi fruit but it looked like one… I guess, but about the size of a barrel, it was green and fuzzy and there were dozens of them"

"Like a kiwi fruit? …with a tentacle? Are you kidding me?"

The solemn shake of Adams head told Tommy that this was not joke

"Adam, are you uh… are you sure this doesn't have something to do with Rita or Zedd, because killer fruit really does seem right up their alley" Although Kimberly was only half joking she still caused Billy to chuckle and it pleased her that even at a time like this she could relieve the tension, even if it was only for a split second

"Guys, I know it sounds ridiculous but these creatures are not funny, they could have killed Rocky and I in a heart beat if they'd chosen to"

"They had their targets exactly where they wanted them and yet they chose not to end their lives, it's perplexing… to say the least" Billy massaged the space between his eyes as he struggled to use his genius intellect to make sense of the situation. What _he'd_ witnessed a few short hours ago may not have been as traumatic as what Adam had been through but it was no less confusing… but that could wait, first he had to try and help Tommy to make sense of Adams torment

"Okay…we've got fuzzy green creatures that split open and have tentacles that can grab a human by the throat and lift them off their feet, we've faced creatures like that in the past, it won't be easy without our powers but we can defeat them- agreed?" Tommy appeared to have broken free of his guilt riddled panic and was now all business. People needed rescuing, monsters needed destroying, this was his 'thing' it was what he did

Three concerned looking faces nodded their agreement

"But what happened to Rocky… his helmet is completely smashed in two, and your side… did the Ki-army do that to you?"

"The what?" Tommys face crumpled with disgust as he frowned across at Kim

"Ki-army, you know, as in Kiwi-army" Kim forced a smile, just so he knew he wasn't getting to her, even though his out bursts really were getting to her

"We are not calling them that"

"You might not be but I just did and besides I'd rather be defeated by an army of any kind than by… a fruit!" She prayed that he would smile at that, she longed with every part of her to see the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled or to hear the laugh that bubbled up from his throat and was an infectious as yawning, in truth she just longed for Tommy, _her _Tommy, the only man she would ever love yet the one man she could never be with… not if she wanted to stop all hell from breaking loose

"You aren't getting the chance to be defeated by anything because you aren't coming"

"Oh I'm coming" Kim stared defiantly up at the man that was now shaking his head at her in disbelief, he was just about to berate her for being so arrogant to think that she can just turn up again after all of this time and just decide that she's part of the team when the sound of Adams voice caused them both to stop bickering

"It wasn't the Ki-army" Adams voice was tense as he attempted to control the anger that was growing in him towards both of them

Again Tommy shook his head and frowned in Kims direction

"Well do you have a better name and at the end of the day, does it even matter what we call them as long as we can kill them?"

His silence told her that it didn't and she was sure she saw him blush at that

Adam slowly shook his head as he wrapped his arms around his torso and flinched as pain ripped through his side

"As far as I could tell, the Ki-army were just there to make sure we didn't escape"

"But if they didn't want to kill you and they didn't want to take you like they did the girls, what did they want with you?" Billy was still no closer to working out what the hell this was all about

"They wanted us to watch the show"

Standing up and moving away from Rocky, Kimberly could tell immediately by Adams tone that this was where things got bad, because up until this point, the disappearance of Kat and Tanya, the destruction of the Zords, being attacked by giant fruit… it was just a day in the life of a Power Ranger, but one look into Adams eyes told her that he'd been through something else… something more terrifying than anything they'd ever been through before.

The feel of Billys arm coming down around her shoulders was his signal that he was as scared about what he was about to hear as she was, and also that they were in this together

Taking a deep breath and then clearing his throat, Adams haunted voice echoed through the command centre

"The Ki-Army were nothing we hadn't seen before… like Tommy said, but what came next was something completely different. Not far from were we were there were a group of kids, some of them went to our school, I think I recognised one of the guys from art class, I guess they'd been watching the fight, you know? it's not every day you get to see the Power Rangers defeated right before your eyes. Anyways, the lightening struck again and this time it hit a bush, when the fire died out there were 'things' standing in the smoke"

"Things?" Kimberly crossed her arms over her waist and was suddenly thankful to Billy for his closeness

"They looked like shadows at first, like the smoke hadn't cleared properly but then they started walking towards the kids and… I don't know what they were, It was like they were… shadows but they were translucent… I don't know how else to describe it but it was like nothing I'd ever seen before, dark yet luminous, transparent yet… not"

"Woah, Adam, did you just switch bodies with Billy there because I didn't understand a word you said"

"Can you please stop interrupting?" Tommys eyes burned in her direction "I don't know if you've noticed but our friends are kind of in a lot of trouble here, they don't have time for your wise cracks"

"Yes, I know that Mr. State-the-obvious and it wasn't a wise crack it was the truth"

"Guys… can you just listen?! The world's in incredible danger… we're in incredible danger! The Shadows surrounded the group and they just stood there, looking at them with the most horrific smiles on their faces that I have ever seen and the look in their eyes… it was like they knew what was going to happen and they were savouring it"

"Did they hurt them?" Kims eyes went straight to Tommy, daring him to yell at her but this time he said nothing , he just waited in silence for Adams response

"They uh… they stepped into them" Three pairs of eyes widened "Just like pulling on a new outfit , you could see them moving their arms and legs, like they were seeing how they fit and when the kids moved again, you could tell it wasn't them… the shadows were controlling them… using them as a mode of transport. We were thrown before them and then surrounded. When they spoke it was just an ordinary teenage voice… they wanted to fight, Rocky said no way, we weren't fighting innocent kids but they wouldn't take no for an answer, they started attacking him but he wouldn't fight back, he tried to defend himself but he wouldn't fight"

"He's a Ranger, Rangers don't fight humans" Tommys words were definitive, his tone was not

"We don't watch our best friends get killed whilst we stand around and do nothing either, and they weren't human, yes their bodies might have been but they were super charged with super human strength, some of the moves they pulled off, I couldn't have done it even when I was ninjetti. So I fought them"

"Adam!" Kim couldn't stop his name from crossing her lips as the full horror of what he'd seen and done began to sink in

"I fought kids from our school, I looked them in the eyes whilst I hurt them, but I did it for Rocky, I knew he would never do it, no matter what they did to him… and they would have killed him guys… they would!"

As they all turned to view the still unconscious body of Rocky, not one of them doubted for a second that if Adam hadn't have fought they would have killed his best friend right before his eyes, just as none of them doubted that if they were in the same position they would have done the same thing

"The fight was intense, one of them knocked Rocky to the ground and another jumped into the air and came down on his helmet… that's when it smashed, he was unconscious from there on in. I thought they'd killed him… I thought they were going to kill me" Tears swelled in his eyes again but this time he just about managed to control them

"So what happened? How'd you escape?" Asked Billy whilst placing a comforting hand on Adams shoulder

"I don't really remember, all I know is one minute I was on the ground, crawling towards Rocky, yelling his name whilst these guys just kept coming at me and then the next, it was raining like I've never seen, massive drops, the size of my fist" He screwed his hand into a fist as if to demonstrate "They stopped coming at me, they just… stepped out of the guys and they crumpled to the floor like dirty laundrey as the Shadows walked away" Adams face contorted in confusion as he tried to work out how any of this could be possible "In a flash of lightening they were gone and we were surrounded by fire, I managed to pull everyone free before picking up Rocky and carrying him back here"

"You carried him all this way?"

"Communications were down, no one gets left behind" Adam walked slowly towards his friend "I thought he was dead… all that way, through the streets and the desert… I thought I was carrying his dead body home"

The command centre fell into silence as the same images played and then replayed through everyone's mind. The Green Zeo Ranger walking the streets of Angel Grove, his uniform shredded and burned, his body battered and bruised, carrying the lifeless body of the Blue Ranger, his best friend since they were 5 years old. It was an image that would haunt all of their dreams in the days that would follow

Turning back to the group, Adam ran his hands through his hair before speaking again, this time his words were tinged with brutal honesty

"They could have killed us if they'd wanted to, this was just an introduction"

"If defeating Mondo and The Power Rangers is just an introduction then I hate to think…"

"We are _not_ defeated" Yelled Tommy whilst jabbing a finger in Kimberlys direction and then he turned his attention back to Adam briefly before spinning around and staring down at his shocked ex-girlfriend "Don't you _ever_ say that again, because we are not defeated. We're down but we aren't out and if you think for one second that we are then you can turn around and go back to your life in Florida and your 'Mr. Wonderful' and you can just forget everything you've seen and heard today"

Tommys stare was icy as he gazed down at the only person in the world that could provoke such extreme changes in emotions from him. Her words from earlier still rang in his ears, the fury he'd felt at them still ignited in his chest when he heard her voice…beautiful, gentle and dangerous as ever. How was it possible to love and hate someone so completely?

"Instead of me running away, how about you stop yelling at me and then we try and come up with a way to defeat the bad guys and get our friends back?"

"Fine" It was as close to an apology or an agreement as the pair were going to get right now but from the look on both Billy and Adams faces it was enough

"Billy, does the command centre have any power left at all?" The beginnings of a plan were forming in Tommys head

"Teleporting you here used up the last of it"

"Well can you rig something up? Some sort of generator? We really need to be able to see what's going on in the city, and we need to be able to contact outside forces for help if Zordon and Alpha don't reappear soon"

"Tommy, I don't know if it's even possible to build something to power a place like this" Billy was careful to ignore the last comment, that conversation could wait for another time

"But you'll try, right?"

"Of course, but I'll need to get back to my house"

Rubbing his hands together, Tommy visibly brightened at the thought of getting out and doing something rather than standing around and sinking under the desperation of the situation. Kimberly saw the change in him and couldn't help but smile. Tommy the leader was back and that meant that they at least had a fighting chance,

"Okay, Adam you stay here with Kim, Billy and I will head into the city and get what we need…"

Tommy was already on the move, heading towards the exit and the others followed, whilst attempting to keep up with the plans he was making

"We'll walk there and then drive back…" Placing his hand on the handle he was looking over his shoulder at the rest of the group as he turned it and pushed it open. The way their faces paled as their jaws dropped and they struggled to utter a warning confused Tommy at first, but as he turned around he found his face draining and falling in the same way, because the desert that generally lay before them- peaceful and still, was whirling all around the command centre in the most violent sand storm they had ever seen whilst a terrifying laughter tore through the air

"Shut the door" Billys command was a hoarse whisper but Tommy seemed hypnotised as he stared out in bewilderment

"TOMMY SHUT THE DOOR!" Kimberly rushed forward, closely followed by Billy and Adam as all three of them threw themselves at the door, slamming it shut and then sliding down to rest against it, their hearts hammering in their ears and their breathing ragged

"We'll never defeat them on our own…" Kimberly voice was just a whisper as she buried her head in her hands

"We need reinforcements" Billy stared blindly ahead before turning his attention to Tommy "We need help"

Nodding, yet never uttering a word Tommy headed back into the power chamber

"Where are you going?" Kimberly called after him

"To find a phone"

"A phone… are you serious?! Who are you going to call? The cops? What the hell would you say? Hi I'm a Power Ranger and a sand storm has trapped me in my command centre, can you please help?"

"A. I'm just doing what Billy asked- I'm calling in reinforcements. B. I'm not a Ranger anymore" He ignored the look of surprise that covered Kimberlys face at his revelation "There are only 4 people in the world that can help us now"

"Once a Ranger, always a Ranger" whispered Adam as he gazed down at Rocky bruised face

_*** Hey, during my time indulging myself in as many T/K fanfics as I could possibly find I also stumbled across to Youtube and I just want to let know about a vid I found, it's actually a recording of a radio interview with JDF but he's interviewed as Tommy and they ask him about what's going on between him and Kim, it's really sweet- I implore you to go listen! (search Jason David Frank aka Tommy) x**_


	3. Beneath The Suit We Breathe And Bleed

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER ****3- Beneath The Suit We Breathe And Bleed**

**The Command Centre**

**Hopeless**

The Command Centre was filled with an eerie silence as each person standing inside it battled to comprehend how everything they had fought to build, had fallen to pieces so easily.

It was never supposed to be like this. The things that had come to pass today were never supposed to happen.

Yes, when they had signed up to become superheroes they had known the risks and they had accepted them as part of a job that they were proud to do, but now, faced with the possible destruction of one of their own, they were beginning to realise just how blindly and naively they had trusted that the power would always protect them. Now the power was gone and the devastation that had been left behind was evidence to all 4 of them that under the suit all they really were was fragile human beings, made of pieces that broke, built around a core that wouldn't beat forever.

The risks they had taken were calculated- sure, but they were still risks. Had any of them thought seriously about the consequences if things went wrong? Had they considered that each time they put on the uniform of a superhero they were putting their lives on the line? The paleness that coated each face and caused their eyes to appear hollow told a tale of immaturity and blind belief in the people that had recruited them, and as reality began to sink in, the darkness of it coursed through each of them

"Can you believe they have all of this technology, stuff that N.A.S.A would sell the president just to catch a glimpse of and yet they don't even have a phone? How are we supposed to call Jason and the others without a phone?"

Tommy spoke in harsh whispers as he and Billy stepped into a darkened corner of the Command Centre. Adam had taken Kims place as guardian of Rocky, whilst Kimberly sat in a self imposed solitude

"I guess they just didn't have a need for a phone, not when we all had communicators"

Both men faked a smile as their eyes dropped to their now bare wrists, a symbol of what had once been, what they had chosen to give up

"You know, all of this time, we've been fighting, risking our lives, sacrificing ourselves… what we want…" The poignant glance in Kims direction wasn't missed by Billy but he said nothing. "We've sacrificed years of our lives for other people and now… looking at Rocky, I can't help but feel like maybe it was all for nothing"

"It wasn't for nothing, Tommy you can't let yourself think like that. We've done so much good… we've been protectors to the vulnerable, that has to mean something"

"What does it mean if we can't even protect our own team?" Allowing his gaze to find its way back to Adam and Rocky, Tommy sighed and then shrugged "I should have been there Billy"

"And so should I" The tears in Billys eyes revealed a new side of his character to his friend and as Tommy nodded his understanding both men felt their bond growing along with the burden of responsibility. It was going to be up to them to forge a plan that would hopefully see them emerge from this disaster as victors and with their team in tact. They were both members of the original power team, they'd seen the best and the worst of what the power could bring, they had been through everything together and the look they shared told them that they would face this together… as a team… as Zordon would have expected.

Zordon… the whispered deception that Billy had stumbled upon earlier filled his mind and for a moment he considered sharing his secret with Tommy but he paused before breathing life into his words. Now was not the time. Now was the time to give hope, not to take it away, it was the time when they needed to believe in anything that gave them faith, they didn't need that faith to be broken . He would eventually broach the subject but later, when the team was stronger and things were clearer

Looking back to Tommy, Billy noticed his sudden distraction as he stood with his attention fixed solely on the petite brunette wearing black shorts and a pale purple vest top. Kimberly was sat on a step staring up at the lifeless viewing globe, so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the command she still held over Tommys attention

"It must be strange for her, being back here… like this"

A nod was Tommys only response as he fought a battle to appear unaffected by Kimberlys presence and lost

"Tommy, I know things are awkward between the two of you right now but we're in a situation the likes of which we've never seen and we're half a team down before we even begin…"

Tommy finally managed to tear his gaze away from Kim and brought his full attention back to Billy, but his friend recognised the shadow that lingered in the chocolate pools, it was the shadow that he had walked with ever since Kimberly had cut him from her life

"We're going to need each other"

"Well apparently Kimberly doesn't need any of us"

"Tommy you know that isn't true"

"Do you know what my first thought was when I saw her running down the street calling my name earlier?"

Billy shook his head but it wasn't the truth , he had a pretty good idea of what Tommy might have thought… or hoped, he had seen it in his eyes as he had watched him watching Kim just moments before

"I thought she'd changed her mind. I thought she was looking for me so that she could take back everything she'd said. Can you believe that? After everything she's said and done to me and the first thing I wanted was for her to have changed her mind. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

"It's not pathetic, it's… okay, it's okay to want something Tommy, but we're going to have to be able to trust each other with our lives, can you do that, can you trust Kim after everything?"

" Wanting things I can't have is just something else I have to live with.." Tommy allowed his eyes to trace Kims outline once more before finally turning his back on her. "All that matters is finding a way to save Rocky, Katherine and Tanya, and if that meant trusting Zedd and Rita with my life then I would do it. Don't worry about me and Kimberly, we seem to be getting pretty good at ignoring each other. I need to check on Rocky and then it's time to get to work" Taking just one step past Billy, Tommy paused as though wrestling with something in his mind and then he sighed before speaking "Kimberly looks upset, you should check that she's okay"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**2 DAYS EARLIER ****- Fort Lauderdale**

**Powerless**

Throwing his red hold-all into the passenger side of his black ford truck, Jason Lee-Scott slammed the door shut and ran around to the drivers side. Pulling open the door , he dropped heavily onto the empty seat before heaving it closed behind him and then taking a second to catch his breath and allow his face to cool from the heat of over exertion before fastening his seatbelt and throwing back his head

He was late! For the second morning in a row, he was late and the timing couldn't possibly have been worse.

Jamming the key into the ignition he caught sight of his eyes in the review mirror, they were almost darker than his mood and heavy with tiredness., his hair screamed 'just out of bed' but that didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was being the least late that he could possibly be and looking down at his watch he groaned at the realisation that even that was going to be too late

For two nights he hadn't slept. Nightmares had dogged every darkened hour, yet as soon as the sun had begun its sleepy ascent he had found himself falling into a sleep deeper than any he'd ever known.

Slamming the truck into reverse, Jason pushed on a pair of sunglasses, ran a tired hand through his hair and then shot out of the car park.

Late…Him! He was never late!

Tommy… now Tommy was eternally late, but never Jason. In fact, he was the designated 'late again?' joke maker, but somehow he had a feeling that his boss of just 2 days would not be in the mood to make jokes about his poor time keeping.

Attempting to focus on the road ahead through heavy eyes, Jason reached into his back pack for the energy drink he hoped he had remembered to pack. It wasn't his usual style to need outside assistance when it came to energy, a super healthy diet and plenty of gym time usually saw him okay in that department but these last two terror filled nights had really taken it out of him and he knew that if he was going to make it through a day of teaching karate to the under 10s, the mothers of the under 10s and then the over 50s he was going to need a little help

Gulping down the fizzy liquid, Jason braced himself and then attempted to replay the dreams in his mind. He wanted to analyze them and make sense of them, deal with them and then hopefully rid himself of them. Unfortunately, whereas his body still tingled with the fear he remembered, his mind was numb… and blank, the dreams had slipped through his memory as easily as grains of sand slip through your fingers

Throwing the empty can onto the seat next to him, Jason had just reached to turn on the radio when he caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eyes. Raising his head he strained to see where the flash had come from but all he could see was slow moving traffic and early bird shoppers.

Beginning to slow his vehicle down, he pushed his sunglasses up onto his head just in time to see the beam of green light hit the tarmac right in front of his truck.

"What the…?!" Slamming on the brakes, the ford grinded to a halt just inches from the singed boots of the Green Zeo Ranger. Staring blankly at the man sitting shocked behind the steering wheel the Ranger slammed his hands down onto the bonnet and Jason couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The sound of tyres screeching and horns blaring filled the early morning air but Jason barely heard them, he was too stunned by what stood before him

"…Adam?"

The Green Ranger stared back through the smashed visor of his helmet with such a terrifying look on his face that Jason found himself gripping the steering wheel so tightly he heard his knuckles crack.

"Adam?!"

Still the Ranger before him silently stared, then, slowly lifting a hand he wiped it over his eyes, the blood that had been trickling down the side of his face now covered his top and bottom eyelids like the sickest war paint Jason had ever seen and as he took a second to steady himself the Green Ranger turned and began walking away through the rows of traffic.

Fighting to free himself from his seatbelt, Jason registered the horns just as he pushed open the door and found himself tumbling onto the road below but he couldn't have cared less, his friend was in trouble and he had to find him

"Hey man move your fucking truck!"

Ignoring the request, Jason pushed himself to his feet and began pounding the road looking for any sign of Adam

"Adam!" He began weaving in and out of the slow moving traffic, searching for any sign of the Green Rangers getaway but still he saw nothing. He was just beginning to pull up when the horrific sound of a man crying out tore through the air. Automatically, Jasons hands shot up to cover his ears but he was unable to stop his feet from following the sound

"Adam?!"

The strange looks the tall dishevelled man dressed in black track pants and red t-shirt was attracting from the early shoppers went completely unnoticed by him, he was too busy trying to block out the sounds that were calling forth the haunting memories of his dreams.

Rounding a corner, Jason finally found himself face to face with the source of the sound, because walking towards him, carrying the limp body of the Blue Zeo Ranger… the man Jason knew to be Rocky DeSantos, another friend of his, was Adam, with his head lifted to the skies as a noise that was more animalistic than human ripped free from his throat.

Jason tried to move towards him… to take Rocky from his arms and ease his burden but he found himself unable to move. The noise ripped at his heart, it was the pure unadulterated sound of the human soul breaking into a million pieces and he couldn't bare it. He tried to call out but only a sob broke free.

Adam was getting closer and Jason could now see the true damage that had been done to the two men, Adams suit was shredded and every step he took left a bloody footprint on the pavement, Rocky on the other hand just lay lifeless in his arms, his helmet smashed down the centre so that Jason could see his mousy brown hair… and it was a harsh reminder of the fragile human being that breathed and bled beneath the suit

Holding out a hand, Jason stumbled forward and as a cry tore out from Adams lungs once more, Jason found his legs giving way and he crashed down on to the hard concrete as again his hands reached to cover his ears but this time they were stopped in mid air as a glove wrapped tightly around his wrists.

Slowly lifting his head, Jason kept his eyes tightly closed as he felt breath burning against his cheek

"When everything is powerless, we are the power"

"What does that mean?" Jasons voice was trembling as he attempted to pull his hands free but Adams grip only intensified

"When everything is powerless _we_ are the power"

"I don't know what that means man"

"When _everything_ is powerless _we_ are the power"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN!" Ripping his hands free of Adams, Jason slammed his palms into the pavement "I don't know what you mean… I don't… I don't know…"

"Jason? Jason!" Reaching down, Andy Bennington gently pushed the arm of her sleeping boyfriend, he'd been dreaming again, she could tell by the perspiration that covered his naked torso and the groans that had travelled down the hallway and into the kitchen where they had alerted her to his distress

"Adam.." Jasons eyes suddenly snapped open and he found himself back in the safety of the real world "It was a dream…"

"Baby are you okay?"

Pushing himself up, Jason attempted to steady his heartbeat as his eyes searched the room in confusion. It had seemed so real… all of it

"It was a dream?"

"A nightmare by the sounds of it. Jase, this is the second morning in a row you've woken like this… are you sure you're okay?"

Rubbing his eyes sleepily he struggled to respond with anything more than a nod of the head. Something in the far corners of his brain was screaming at him, commanding him into action but his tired limbs held him fast to the bed

"When I got up this morning there was an envelope on the mat addressed to you" Andy ran a hand over the black hair that was more than I little lively whilst handing a pale red envelope to him "It must have been hand delivered because there's no stamp on it"

Carefully sliding a finger inside the envelope, Jason slowly tore it open and as he pulled out the contents he heard only one voice in his mind

"_When everything is powerless we are the power"_

Sitting in his bed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Jason Lee-Scott took one look at the paper in his hands and knew without doubt that the time for action was here

"What is it baby?" Andys green eyes narrowed in interest as she stroked her strawberry blond hair nervously

"Plane tickets"

"Why would somebody leave you plane tickets?"

Pushing back the covers, Jason stepped out of bed as his girlfriend looked up at him in confusion

"Jason what are you doing?"

"I have to go"

"Go? Go where?! Who left those tickets?"

"Someone that needs my help"

"Where are you going?!" Her voice was shrill with confusion

"Home" Was Jasons only answer as he pulled a dark blue suitcase from under his bed and then headed into the bathroom, where he knew he would prepare to walk out on the life he was just beginning to build, but he had taken an oath… he had a calling so special that no matter what the cost there could only ever be one decision.

The sound of the phone ringing brought Jason back to reality as he turned on the shower and prepared for the long journey back to Angel Grove

"Jason?"

Opening the door Jason looked into his girlfriends eyes and felt the guilt of walking out on her rising.

"Andy I'm really sorry about this, but please don't ask me to explain because I can't… not in a way that will make any sense anyways"

A slow nod of her head told him she wasn't about to fight him on this and he was thankful for her wholehearted trust and understanding

"Jason, your friend Trini is on the phone and she seems really upset"

Just as Jason took the phone from her hands the mobile phone that sat on his night stand began to ring, and as the tone echoed through out the room the icy cold hand of fear wrapped its self around his heart. Something had gone terribly wrong… he was sure of it

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**PRESENT TIME****- Back At The Command Centre**

**Speechless**

Easing himself down onto the step next to the fragile looking figure of one of his oldest friends, Billy Cranston allowed silence to wrap its self around time as a comfortableness hung over and then settled in on the two.

"Are you okay?" His words were softly spoken as Kims head nodded softly in response. Billy had just opened his mouth to forge ahead with conversation when Kimberlys voice broke the silence

"I just can't bare seeing him like that" She never once turned to face her friend but Billy could hear the presence of tears in her words

"Are you talking about Rocky or Tommy?"

A wet sniff turned into a small laugh as Kim turned her head slightly, allowing Billy to look into her eyes properly for the first time in months and he was shocked by the hollowness of them. The Kimberly he'd known, the one who had set off for Florida with a heart full of courage and a head full of dreams had always worn her soul in her eyes but now there was nothing that he could recognise as life, just ghosts of someone he had once known

"You always were too wise for your own good" As her voice faded away she returned her gaze to the deadness of the viewing globe and then "I've missed you Billy"

"We've all missed you Kimberly"

Her snorted response told Billy that their decision to cut off contact for the good of Tommy and their team was still a source of bitterness for Kim, he couldn't blame her, just as he was sure she wouldn't blame them for the decision they had been forced to make.

"Tommy will come around, he's still struggling with everything that's happened, your letter wounded him deeply, he still hasn't recovered"

"I know this is going to sound ridiculous after everything I did, but I never wanted to hurt him"

"But you had to know it would"

"Sometimes it's better to rip the plaster off quickly" Her words were spoken as though to herself rather than to Billy as she began fiddling with the pink stoned ring that she still wore on the middle finger of her left hand. It had been a gift from Tommy when he had returned as the White Ranger… Billy wondered if he'd even noticed that she still wore it and then found himself beginning to wonder what it meant that she did. "If there'd been any other way… any other choice…"

"You could have told him to his face Kimberly, allowed him the time to ask the questions that have haunted him since, given him the answers that his soul requires to gain closure and then begin to move on"

Billy attempted to seek out her eyes but found them fixed firmly ahead, hidden out of view. Kimberly Hart was a lot of things but a good liar wasn't one of them, Billy wanted to see her words reflected in her eyes, he wanted to see for him self what was the truth behind what he was sure were lies

"You could have given him that much, after everything you went through together, you could have told him that you didn't want to continue your relationship rather than just sending him some cold words that he hasn't been able to make sense of"

"I couldn't… I never could lie to him"

Kimberlys admission hung in the air for what felt like a life time, neither one of them knowing how to move the conversation forward. Kim had just admitted that if she'd have told Tommy she wanted to end their relationship she would have been lying, Billy didn't know what to make of that and Kimberly didn't know how to end the conversation now before she said something that caused the explosives that had been strategically placed throughout the foundations of her life to blow up and cause everything to come crashing down around not only her but every member of the power team.

"What happened Kimberly?"

She wanted to talk, God, how her soul screamed out for her to unburden herself, to share the secrets that she held so close, but she was scared of the carnage their revelation would cause. The words that would free Tommy… the truth, were the words that were looped around her neck like a noose and the threat of what would happen should she reveal them hung over her head like a guillotine

"You know those movies, the ones where someone knows something, or has a secret and no matter the situations they find themselves in they say nothing, and you sit screaming at the screen for them to just tell someone because you know that when they do everything will work out and they'll get their happy ending?"

"I seem to recall watching a few movies like that with you and Trini" Billy attempted a laugh but it was half hearted at best

"Well there's a reason they're movies Billy and not real life"

"Kim if something is wrong…"

"I should tell you and you'll make it all okay?"

"You're one of my oldest friends Kimberly, I hope you know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you"

Wrapping her arms around her knees Kimberly sighed, she didn't doubt for a second the honesty in Billys words but his belief that there was a solution to every problem was a belief that Kimberly had lost a long time ago

"There is nothing you can do Billy"

The sadness in Kims voice almost brought the tears from earlier back to Billys eyes, but being sorry with her would do no good, he was a problem solver, that's what he did and that's what he had every intention of doing this time

"Kim, I'm a genius, that tends to mean that I can find a solution to almost every problem"

"Every problem doesn't have a solution Billy, just like every question doesn't have a logical answer. Look…" She turned to look him dead in the eye and Billy could feel a coldness trickle down his spine "I'm not trying to be mysterious or clever I just… I'm trying to protect people the only way I know how… please let me do that"

Automatically Billys hands rose to cover Kims and the tears that crept from her eyes and then escaped down her cheeks surprised him

"Protect who from what? Kim we're a team, whatever is going on we can help you, I promise you of that"

"What we have to do is help Rocky and then find Katherine and Tanya. If you're a genius, if you can find a solution to any problem, find one to this… before it's too late"

The loud banging on the entrance to the Command Centre shocked every one in the room into immediate action. Adam automatically took up a defensive stance next to Rocky whilst Tommy, Billy and Kimberly bolted towards the door

"What do we do?" Kimberly automatically looked to Tommy for answers but he simply stared down at her, his face paling before her very eyes "Tommy if it's them what do we do?!" The fear in her voice was so tangible that Tommy couldn't stop the hand that rose and then fell onto her shoulder as reassurance, the small smile she gave him as thanks burned through the fear that was pulsing through his body and touched the one place he was trying his hardest to keep out of her grasp

"Billy, will the door hold them?"

"It's strong but you saw what they did to the desert, it'll hold them but I don't know how long for. Without our powers we're sitting ducks"

Being helpless and afraid wasn't something that the 4 young heroes were used to, but neither was being up against a powerful, unknown evil without the guidance of their leader or the protection of their powers and as silence flooded the length and breadth of the Command Centre fear sparked in the humid air. As the banging resumed once more, Tommy, Kimberly and Billy found themselves slowly backing away from the door

"Guys? Are you in there?"

It took a second for the familiarity of the voice to register but once it had the Command Centre became a hive of action, Billy and Tommy quickly began unlocking the huge door whilst Kimberly ran to Adams side and threw her arms around his neck

"Everything's going to be okay Adam" She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice "If we're all here we can do this, we can save him"

The sound of cheerful greetings filled the spaces where silence had hung just seconds earlier but soon the voices lowered and darkened.

Tommy was explaining the terrible things that had happened. Kimberly heard snippets of his words. 'It's terrible guys… Tanya and Kat are missing… Zordon and Alpha… gone'. she didn't need to hear him explain about Rocky, the sound of footsteps pounding through the power chamber and the flash of yellow that fell to Rockys side told her the news had been broken and as Adam dropped down to comfort Aisha, Kimberly walked silently away. Adam, Rocky and Aisha had always been a group and they needed to be together now, later, they would need their friends but for right now, they only needed each other.

" Man, I can't believe you guys are here. We were just trying to work out a way to contact you, it's a good thing too, things are bad… really bad, we're going to need everyone if we're to get through this" Tommys arm was comfortably looped around the shoulders of Jason, his best friend. "So we'll wait for Zach and then we'll get to work okay?"

The way Jasons head bowed when Zachs name was mentioned caused confused glances to pass amongst Tommy, Billy and Kimberly and when Trini let out a long, laboured breath as her eyes hit the floor they knew they were in for more bad news

"Guys, I think we're going to have to do this without Zach" Jason looked to Trini for elaboration but she remained silent

"Well did you speak to him? Did he have the same dream you guys did?" Tommys confusion was evident in his voice

"No, uh… Zach isn't exactly taking our calls right now" Three pairs of confused eyes gazed at him as Trini finally found it in herself to speak

"Guys, Zach has changed since he got back from Switzerland, I don't think now is the time to go into detail but… even if he had the dream, I don't think he'll show up"

"That' ridiculous!" Kim laughed a little at the silliness of Trinis statement "If Zach knows we need his help he'll be here"

The looks that passed between Jason and Trini told a different story.

"Guys he has to… for Rocky"


	4. Memories In Gold

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own owt**

**CHAPTER 4**

_*Dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson. _

_Love him or hate him, we'll never forget him_

**MEMORIES IN GOLD**

Oh Rocky… what have they done to you?

Laying deathly still before me you look so fragile… I want to reach down and touch you, comfort you but I'm afraid that you'll break beneath my finger tips.

I look at your pale skin glistening with perspiration and I can't believe that it's really you.

How could anyone do this to you?

I can hear Tommy and Jason arguing in the background but I push their voices from my mind. I don't have time for this right now and it sickens me that they do but all I want now is you and me… how we were… how we've always been

What was I thinking when I left here? I was so caught up in me and my history and trying to find myself… I want to laugh when I think back, what on earth did I go looking for? Why didn't I realise that I'd found everything I would ever need when I was just 10 years old?

My fingers are just inches from the soft hair I can see spilling out of your destroyed helmet but I still can't bring myself to touch you as a red hot fury floods my senses.

That helmet was supposed to protect you!

The one that has split so easily was supposed to stop this from happening!

Zordon promised that the power would always protect us and we trusted him! … but where is he now? Where is he when we need him the way that he always needed us? If he was here I'd scream at him for allowing this to happen but he isn't and the only person I can scream at is me… for leaving you, for not being here when you needed me

Looking down at you I hear air escaping from your lungs and I try hard to summon the courage not to cry, I'm not really the kind of girl that cries… I remember my Grandmother telling me that crying was natures way of cleansing the soul but I never believed her, I always thought tears were just a way of showing the world your weakness. I get the feeling that if I was to give in to tears today I would still be fighting to stop them tomorrow and we don't have time to indulge our own feelings right now. Now, the only thing that matters is you

Come on Rocky… open your eyes, I'm here. I came all of this way because I dreamt of you… you spoke to me, do you remember? I heard your voice as though you were sitting right next to me. I felt your breath on my cheek, I felt the way you hesitated as you tried to explain what was going to happen.. To explain it in a way that wouldn't scare me. I remember the way your eyes shone as you spoke about old times, me… Adam… our tiny family of 3, you tried to tell me that he would suffer most from your sacrifice but I can't see how he could feel any worse than this.

I look across at him. He's been silently guarding you ever since I got here and his eyes shoot open every time anyone approaches you, I can see him clenching and then releasing his fists. I want to speak to him, to tell him that it's all going to be okay but I can't find it in me to lie, even though I know it would bring him some kind of comfort, and believe me I want to comfort him… he looks so lost, so frightened and helpless, I want to help him but your words still ring in my ears.

You told me that the only way Adam would fight was if he was fighting for you. After hearing his version of events I can see what you meant, you knew Adam had to fight to survive but you also knew he would never fight people he perceived to be innocent so you stood there whilst they attacked you, you let them do this to you so that Adam would fight for you and in the process save himself. You told me this was fate, that destiny had a special plan for Adam and you were more than happy to give yourself up to that plan but I just can't believe that the God I believe in could have only this terribleness in mind for you. Why would he build you strong enough mentally and physically to take up the mantle of 'Super hero' if this is how it ends? After years of protecting the weak, the end comes in a bloody… glory less, self sacrifice

I cast a glance across at Adam and I hate myself for the anger I feel.

I know this is how you said it was supposed to be, I know he wasn't supposed to save you but I can't help but feel angry at him for not just saying 'Fuck fate!" and rescuing you anyways but shame soon dampens those feelings. One look at Adam sitting across from me ,staring down at you with the blackest eyes I've ever seen tells me he fought harder for you than anyone else could have, you may be lying on the crib but Adams soul is there with you… I hope that brings you comfort, I hope you realise that you aren't alone… I hope you aren't scared

I know you explained that this was the way it had to be, and I pray to God that you will forgive me, but I can't just sit here and accept that we're going to lose you. I can't accept that everything we've been through has been for nothing.

You and Adam found me when I was 10 years old, I was shy, self conscious and insecure about who I was but you guys took hold of my hand then and in all the years that have past you never once let it go. Well I'm not about to pull away from you now Rocky, I'm not about to let your hand slip from mine so forgive me as my fingers finally make contact with the soft skin of your lips.

…I can't lose you, so I'm saying 'Fuck Fate' and I'm going to make sure we save you. If that isn't what fate had in mind then tough… we're the Power Rangers and Power Rangers don't sit back and watch as one of their team slips away from them. They rush in, fight for him and then drag him back and one way or another we're dragging you back from this

I just pray that you won't hate me for what I'm about to do…

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Trini Kwan stared at the two men before her and wondered how long they were going to argue about this.

Couldn't they see that there were more important things to be doing right now than arguing over a guy who had lost every personality trait that could have been of some use to them?

"Guys, we have got to forget about Zach, Rocky is fading right before our eyes, we have to do something, and we have to do it now!"

"Trini, I don't know why you guys can't see it but we need Zach… we need everybody!" Tommy had been sure from the beginning that any kind of successful plan would require all of the ex-Rangers participation, Jason and Trinis refusal to see that was infuriating him in a way he had never experienced before.

How could they look at Rocky lying broken before them and not realise that they needed all the help they could get?

"Zach would be no good to us even if he did have the guts to show up, he isn't the same guy that you remember. Things happened in Switzerland…" The dark looks that passed between Jason and Trini were missed by no one "I don't want to get into it, it's his story, only he has the right to tell it but he obviously isn't going to show up, so I say forget him, let's put our heads together and come up with a plan to help Rocky and get Katherine and Tanya back before it is too late" Jason crossed his arms over his wide chest defiantly, as though that was the last he expected to hear on the subject, but the look that passed between Tommy, Kimberly and Billy told him that they were going to require more of an explanation than that before they gave up their belief that Zach was integral to the success of the rescue mission

"Jason…" Kimberlys voice was small with confusion as she stood up from the step on which she had been sitting and with concerned eyes, gazed up at the man who was her oldest friend "What happened to you guys? You and Zach were practically brothers and now, when it looks as though we could lose everything, the one person that we should be able to count on to help us without hesitation is the one man you don't want anywhere near us. What's going on?"

"Kim what happened isn't important" Trinis hand came to rest on her friends arm and gained her Kimberlys full attention. "All that matters is Zach wont be coming so we have to accept that and move on… Rocky doesn't have much time"

The truth of Trinis quietly spoken words hit each person like a knife in their chest. Whether they chose to see it, accept it or ignore it, one of their closest friends was dying right before their eyes and here they were arguing about someone who didn't even care enough to turn up.

4 pairs of eyes dropped to the floor in shame and they were all too lost in their sorrowful thoughts to notice the way Adams eyes had become ablaze on hearing Trinis words. In fact, no one but Aisha saw the way he attempted to jump up from his resting place only to clutch at his side as pain ripped through him, and not one of the former Rangers was aware of him storming across the Command Centre until it was too late and he was standing just inches from Trini glaring down at her with a hatred he didn't even know he was capable of

"What did you just say?" Adams cheeks burned red as his haggard breath hit Trini in the face forcing her eyes to close in surprise.

Stepping back Trini knitted her eyebrows together in confusion but the grief that cloaked Adams features forced her retort into retreat as a forced laugh rattle past her and echoed off the walls of the Command Centre

"Sorry but did I miss the part where you qualified as a doctor? And where exactly was I when you checked him out and then came up with this insightful 'diagnosis' _Dr. Kwan _because as far as I can tell you guys have been too busy arguing amongst yourselves to come within spitting distance of Rocky"

"Adam I…"

"Don't tell me that you're sorry, or that you didn't mean it… because the truth is simple… you have no clue what you're talking about!"

"Adam… look at him" Trini's voice was tiny as she glanced over her shoulder, searching out Jason for back up but she found his eyes glued to the ground as he played nervously with the sleeve of his burgundy hooded sweatshirt. Realising she was alone in this, Trini considered her next words very carefully "He looks worse with every minute that passes, he needs help"

"Yeah? Well it _doesn'_t help that his team are too busy arguing to come up with any sort of plan to actually help him. 'We need Zach' , 'no we don't need Zach' 'Yes we do need Zach', it's like we're 8 year olds and it's pathetic, okay? So I'll tell you what… I'll end this right now because in two seconds I am out that door and I will drag Zach back here by the hair if I have to"

Spinning around whilst one hand unconsciously sought out his wounded side, Adam Park was just about to head for the door of the Command Centre when a voice echoed through the emotion filled air

"By the hair huh? Good luck with that, bro"

_***CHAPTER 5 Preview- There are things in life that you just don't do… making a move on Kimberly Hart whilst Tommy Oliver is in the room is one of those things**_


	5. Black And Blue

DISCLAIMER: I own nowt

CHAPTER 5 

**Black And Blue**

Standing within the building that had once felt more comfortable to him than his own home, Zach Taylor drew a silent breath deep into his lungs as feelings, he had spent so long trying to repress flooded his senses and threatened to crack the icy exterior that he had constructed to ensure his own survival, years ago

The emotional attachment he had felt to this place and everything associated with it had fallen away in what seemed like another lifetime and now all he could bring himself to feel for it was a cold nothingness as memories he barely recognised rattled aimlessly, and pointlessly around his empty soul.

This building… what lay within it and what it signified… to him and to his life, were all things Zach had found himself struggling to make sense of once the ties that had bound him to it had been broken, clarity had come slowly, like a fog lifting from his eyes but the anger and resentment that followed had taken hold in a second and hadn't released him from it's grip since.

Although Zach was still standing in the entrance way and was yet to lay eyes on the being that had seen fit to choose him over every other child in the world and had therefore chosen the path that his young life would go down, Zach could sense his presence and that alone caused temper to surge white hot through his chest .

What Zordon had taken from him… from all of them, no one had the right to take. Childhood decisions and mistakes where the right of the child alone, but Zordon had taken that right from each one of them and Zach knew without doubt that he would never forgive him for it… and one day he would make him pay!

Clenching his teeth together, Zach dragged his gaze over the faces of the 7 teenagers stood before him. The fact that they were once again gathered here together, on nothing more than the say so of a crazy man caused him to let out a snort of disgust at their inability to grow up, take control of their own lives and see the truth of the situation for what it really was- the Power Rangers weren't super heroes, in fact, as far as Zach was concerned, they were nothing more than brain washed children running around in ridiculous outfits, fighting a war and taking risks that they weren't old enough to understand.

How he could ever have felt a kinship towards these droids was beyond him

"Wow, the big guy says come and you guys just come running, huh?… I guess some things never change"

Grinning up into the darkened face of Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly couldn't help but to feel triumphant . Her belief that Zach would turn up had never faltered and now here he was!

"I told you he would come" She whispered whilst moving her disappointed gaze to Trini and then back up to Jason "I can't believe you ever doubted him" And then without even waiting for their response Kim turned on her heels and headed in Zachs direction, even managing to find a smile for him through the darkness of the situation "Zacky…what kept you? We were beginning to think you weren't going to…"

The long low wolf whistle that cut through Kimberlys words caused her feet to freeze to the spot and her forehead to crumple in confusion

"Kim-ber-ly… girl you look Kim-ber-licious" Licking his lips suggestively Zach observed the petite brunette and found the look of surprise and confusion that coated her features was so sweet that he had to fight the urge to lick it off.

After sucking a deep breath into his lungs, Zach managed to keep hold of himself long enough to reach out, take hold of Kimberlys slim hand, pull her close to him and then, through a self satisfied smile he planted a kiss firmly on her cheek.

The feel of Kimberlys body trembling slightly within his grip only served to further ignite the animalistic fire that was roaring to life inside of him, and casting his gaze across towards Tommy, Zach knew for sure that he had found the perfect way to get to the man who now epitomised everything that he had grown to hate

"Bet you miss doing this Tommy… don't you? Well I have to tell you man, she smells as good as ever, mmm…" He took a long, exaggerated sniff " Just like raspberries, with a cool hit of vanilla"

The wink that punctuated his statement almost caused Tommy to completely lose the coolness that he was renowned for., because in his jealous mind he just couldn't shift the belief that no one in the world had any right to touch Kimberly… or kiss Kimberly but him. The knowledge that she no longer wanted him to touch or kiss her was the only thing that kept Tommy still.

Gripping hold of his friends shoulder Jason growled Tommys name in an attempt to gain his attention but the large mans gaze was fixed solely on the disgusting scene being played out before him

"Tommy! Listen to me" Finally brown eyes met brown "I'm telling you to ignore him man"

"And I'm telling you, I'm about this close to breaking his fingers off one by one…"

"He's just trying to be the big 'I Am' in front of everyone, it doesn't mean anything"

"It means he's about to become the big 'I Was' if he doesn't take his hands off her right now and I'm not messing Jase…"

"Hey Tommy!"

The sound of Zachs cheerful voice quickly gained him the attention of both men.

" I can see why you were a blubbering mess when she dumped you for that weedy gym guy, I guess you were wrong when you thought long hair would be in fashion forever dude"

Grinning widely Zach couldn't help the wave of pleasure that washed over him as a scarlet blush set fire to Tommys cheeks and a large hand self consciously smoothed out his long pony tail. Tommys mouth opened to argue but surprise and humiliation caused his words to stick silently in his throat, unfortunately, silence wasn't something that Zach seemed to be familiar with these days

"I wish I could say that I didn't see the break up coming but I have to be honest… I saw it coming. A girl like Kim was never going to be satisfied by a guy that liked play fighting with his friends more than he liked playing with her… isn't that right Kim, you never did like second place, did you princess?"

"Zach!" Ripping herself away from her friends grip, Kimberlys momentum caused her to stumble backwards a few steps, but as Trinis arm came to wrap around her shoulder Kim found the humiliation of Zachs words proving too much for her already fragile state. Tears oozed from between the eyelids that were clamped closed by shame as opening her mouth she tried to speak, to yell at him for his cruelness, but all that escaped was a pathetic whimper.

Zach… her friend… the one person who could always make her laugh no matter what terrible situation they found themselves in, the man she'd been so pleased to see after all these years… how could he say those things about her? How could he be so cruel to Tommy? …poor Tommy who she had hurt so deeply when he hadn't deserved any of it.

Lifting her head Kim sought out the dark eyes of the man she adored more than life its self, even though he could never be allowed to know it and was horrified by the emotions she saw reflected in them. Zach had humiliated him in the worst possible way and in front of everyone that meant anything to him…

"Tommy…"

His name passed over her lips as a hoarse whisper but he barely acknowledged that he'd heard her before turning around and walking with heavy steps into the heart of the Command Centre and out of view, knowing that now was the time to walk away, not the time fight amongst themselves… that time would come later, he would make sure of it!

"Wow we're just one big happy family aren't we?" Joked Zach, his face visibly darkening as Jasons large frame powered across the floor towards him

"What are you doing here Zach?!"

"You know me Jase, I could never say no to a party, especially when I appear to be the guest of honour" The two men were now standing toe to toe , their noses inches apart, recent events and history bubbling close to the surface, but as they stared each other down neither man dared to recognise it or to address it

The two men had spent almost their entire lives together, they had grown to be closer than most blood brothers but tragedy had torn them apart just less than one year ago and now they remained divided by the knowledge that both had seen and done too much

"A party?"

Adam Park stood close behind Zach, his eyes almost black with fury

"Does this look like a party to you?!"

Without looking away from Jason once, Zach began to address the man who had stepped into his shoes when life had taken him away from Angel Grove and away from the team, when he'd finally been granted his freedom and everything that came with it

"Sure it looks like a party, in fact I'm talking to the two clowns right now and I'm sure if you wait just two more minutes Rocky will appear with the ice cream and jelly"

Adams hand was clamped onto Zachs wrist and forcing it up his back long before Zach even had time to register the pain

"What the…"

"You think this is all one big party Zach?!"

"Adam stop!" Trinis voice was trill as she rushed towards the two former Black Rangers, her arms held up in attempt to halt the violence she was sure would escalate

"You think we're just a bunch of clowns?!"

The sickening crunch that rang out as Zachs knee gave way and crashed down onto the concrete floor as Adam continued to push him deeper into the Command Centre caused Trinis hand to shoot up and cover her mouth. This was going too far, Zach as usual, had said the wrong thing at the wrong time and provoked a violent reaction from one of the most gentle men Trini had ever met and yet here she was, trying to help him when he wasn't even willing to help himself, why could she never mean it when she told him he was now on his own?

"Yes you're clowns" Zach remained defiant as pain ripped through his arm and up his leg "This whole place is a circus!"

"Zach stop it! Adam let him go, you're hurting him!"

But Adam continued to push and when Zachs other knee gave way, pushing become dragging

"Hurting HIM?!" Adams face was red with exertion and fury in equal measures "Trini he doesn't know what it feels like to hurt"

"Oh and is this where you show me?! _You_ of all people!"

Finally the two men came to a halt as Adam bent low, gazing into Zachs eyes with an intensity his predecessor had never witnessed and clutching at the stitches in his side that he was sure he'd just ripped

"What does that mean? Me of all people?"

"Well look at you, strutting around the Command Centre like you own the place, you'd better remember why you're here and show a bit of respect"

"Respect? For you? Like you just showed Kimberly and Tommy?"

"You're talking to one of 'The Chosen' Adam, that's right- me! You're nothing more than a 'Replacement Ranger' and you'd better not forget that, so get your stinking hands off me Mr. Second Best"

"You know what Zach, not everything is about you" the sadness that dripped from his voice surprised Zach, but not as much as the hand that grabbed the back of his neck and forced him up onto his knees. "You see, you aren't here for a party, you're here to help us save Rockys life… and you aren't leaving here until we've done that… and that's something _you'd _better not forget"

Staring down into a face he thought he recognised but couldn't think where from, Zach Taylor almost found it in him to argue back with the man who had just dragged him the length of the Command Centre but as an eerie silence filled the room everything started to become clear.

The face… pale and damp, battered and bruised… he did recognise it!

Bitter bile flooded his mouth

"Rocky?" Automatically his head shot up, looking to the man who always had the answers… but he found the tube that was his inter- dimensional home empty "Zordon?" Zachs voice sounded foreign as it fought it's way out through a black cloud of confusion. Dropping onto his behind and pushing himself backwards against the crib that held Rockys frail body he drew his knees up to his chest until the nausea passed "What's going on?"

"Oh now you care!" Scoffed Jason "Someone fill this jerk in because I'm telling you now…" Crouching down he moved his face to within inches of Zachs " I'm _done_with him" Returning to his feet, Jason turned his back on the man who's secrets he guarded but who he could no longer bare to look at.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hopeless…

The word kept repeating its self over and over in Billys head

Could the situation really be hopeless, when he had always believed that nothing was ever beyond hope?

He was the logical thinker… the solution finder and yet no matter which way he looked at this situation, no matter which way he turned it around he just couldn't find a solution to what they were going through

Katherine and Tanya were missing and they had no idea where to even start looking

Zordon and Alpha were gone… and Billy had found himself keeping their secret from the others at a time when they should have no secrets between them, but the truth… as he knew it, could do them no good at this time- he was sure of that

And then there was Rocky… fear flooded every inch of Billy as he thought about how close to death Rocky was becoming.

Should they turn their back on everything Zordon had taught them? Show them selves for what they were… The Power Rangers and take Rocky to a hospital?

In his morphed state would the Doctors even know what to do to help him? And what would happen to them? They would be taken into custody and become nothing more than science experiments, that much he knew for sure

Gazing around the Command Centre at the fragmented pieces of the Power Team Billy Cranston couldn't help the knot that was beginning to form in his throat

Time and hope was beginning to slip away…

"When everything is hopeless, we are the hope"

Trinis voice cut through Billys dark thoughts as without conscious thought he began moving forward towards her.

"When the power is gone, we are the power"

Jasons deep voice caused Billy to stop dead in his tracks as inspiration began sparking in his brain and hope sparked deep in his stomach

When hope is gone… we are the hope

When the power is gone… we are the power

Reaching out to Trini, Billy grabbed hold of her shoulders, took a second to steady himself and then asked

"Where did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Her surprise at Billys sudden appearance evident in her voice

"About being the hope, where'd you hear it?"

"In the dream I had, Billy…"

But it was too late to question him because he had already released her from his grip and was now rushing across the Command Centre to where Jason stood, deep in conversation with Tommy

"Jason, what you said… about being the power, did you dream that too?"

"What, are you eves dropping Billy?" he teased

"We don't have time for teasing Jason, just please tell me whether you dreamt that or not"

"Yes I dreamt it Billy, I was just going over things again with Tommy, trying to see if we could…"

"I think I know how to get this place up and running" Rushing across to one of the computer panels Billy lifted off the covering and began disconnecting wires as Tommy, Jason, Kimberly and Trini looked amongst themselves in confusion before walking slowly towards their friend

"You do?" Kimberlys face twisted into a look of complete bewilderment and as she looked to Jason and Tommy for answers yet all she received was a shrug

"How?" Even Aisha and Adam found it in themselves to leave Rockys side as hope propelled them to Billy

"Jason dreamt it! Jason and Trini, between you, you dreamt the answer, you've had it all along only we didn't realise"

Jason and Trini looked as confused as everyone else as they watched Billy move on to the next computer panel, throw it open and then begin rewiring the circuit boards

"When the power is gone… we are the power, Jason that's what you were told in your dream, well look around us, the power is gone… all that's left is us"

"Billy, you aren't telling us anything we don't already know, give us something we can work with man" Tommys voice was thick with impatience as he tried to figure out where this was all leading

"The power is gone, _we _are the power, _we_ can power the Command Centre! We were all wired up to the morphing grid, there has to be residual power left in all of us, if we can somehow pool that power together, we should be able to power the Command centre, at least long enough for us to send a distress signal out"

"Use ourselves to power the Command Centre?" Jason asked his friend dubiously

"Billy, isn't that a little dangerous?" Trini looped her arm through Kimberlys as concern burned bright on both of their faces

"It is dangerous, but it's also our only choice"

"So how do we do it?" Tommy stepped forward, ready for action, ready to put his life on the line, to do whatever it took… standing around talking and thinking… it was getting too much for him, especially since Zachs appearance. The truth was beginning to bubble too close to the surface and he knew without doubt that if he did not do something to stop himself thinking and analysing it then he was in danger of erupting and that was definitely the last thing the team needed to deal with right now

"Tommy, we should talk about this first"

"Trini, we don't have time to talk, now is the time to act, so come on Billy, what's the plan? What do we need to do?"

"We need to try to search inside ourselves… into the deepest darkest corners… where the very last traces of the power will be hidden. It's not going to be easy… we're going to have to search ourselves, find that spark that made us Rangers in the first place"

Shaking his head, Tommy began stepping away from the group

"There has to be another way"

"Tommy…"

"Billy, I'll hit what ever you want me to hit, risk whatever you want me to risk but I'm telling you man… what you're saying… I can't do it"

"Tommy…"

"I'm telling you I wont do it… you'll just have to find another way!"

"You said it yourself there is no other way… we're running out of time, Tommy, Rocky is running out of time, we have to do this, and we have to do it now!"

_*** By the end of the chapter I really wanted them out of the command centre and on the move but the whole Zach situation became much darker than I planned and a lot more complicated (although I think it's going to be fun to write him as the bad guy for a while to come yet)**_

_**I know this story is quite slow moving and not to every bodies taste but I just wanted to go a little deeper with each character. I do have a few lighter hearted projects in the works though so it won't all be angst from me**_


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